Catcalls, cackling & campaigning - Elk Grove City Council's recent meeting

Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly. | 
September 13, 2018 |  

For those who have long observed the behavior of the Elk Grove City Council, their most recent meeting on Wednesday, September 12 was a watershed of sorts and not in a good way. One has to dig deep into the city's history to find another example, if one exists, when council members, among themselves, stooped to such low levels of catcalls, cackling, and campaigning. 

The ugly incident among the four members in attendance (Council Member Steve Detrick was absent) happened during council member comments on current activities and future agenda items. Without getting into the details, it was an esoteric discussion of project labor agreements (PLA), as Vice Mayor Darren Suen called it, or as Ly called it the Sacramento Community Workforce Training Agreement (CWTA).

The entire incident can be viewed in the video posted below.

Regardless of what they were called, the fight came down to this - Ly wanted immediate action, and Suen and his fellow council members - he often used the term "we" when arguing his point - wanted to defer any action or discussion on the matter until after elections. 

We cannot say for sure what each council members' precise motivations were other than an attempt to one-up one another as they battle, along with Tracie Stafford, to win the November mayoral election. Adding screeches to the catcalling and cackling were council members Pat Hume and Stephanie Nguyen. 

The catcalling and cackling reached such a crescendo that two audience members loudly uttered words seeking order on the dais! 

It is probably no coincidence that both Ly and Suen are dependent in large part on donations from organized labor and this where the campaigning was a riptide to the whole spectacle. Could each be doing the bidding of their respective labor benefactors, who after all lust for PLAs? 

If it is to cull favor with big labor in some fashion, which would be a good wager, in the future when an Elk Grove City Council member tells you that money from contributors does not affect their votes or behavior, remind them of this revealing incident of catcalling, cackling, campaigning council members.  




 




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1 comment

Josie said...

Perhaps this would have been a time when the Citizens should have applied the Rule of Disruption of Public Meetings in reverse and asked that the Mayor, Vice-Mayor and City Council members take a 10 minute break to maintain decorum ON the dais. Unacceptable behavior by all parties.

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